I. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to computer modeling and management of systems and, more particularly, to computer simulation techniques with real-time system monitoring and prediction of electrical system performance.
II. Background
Computer models of complex systems enable improved system design, development, and implementation through techniques for off-line simulation of the system operation. That is, system models can be created that computers can “operate” in a virtual environment to determine design parameters. All manner of systems can be modeled, designed, and operated in this way, including machinery, factories, electrical power and distribution systems, processing plants, devices, chemical processes, biological systems, and the like. Such simulation techniques have resulted in reduced development costs and superior operation.
Design and production processes have benefited greatly from such computer simulation techniques, and such techniques are relatively well developed, but such techniques have not been applied in real-time, e.g., for real-time operational monitoring and management. In addition, predictive failure analysis techniques do not generally use real-time data that reflect actual system operation. Greater efforts at real-time operational monitoring and management would provide more accurate and timely suggestions for operational decisions, and such techniques applied to failure analysis would provide improved predictions of system problems before they occur. With such improved techniques, operational costs could be greatly reduced.
For example, mission critical electrical systems, e.g., for data centers or nuclear power facilities, must be designed to ensure that power is always available. Thus, the systems must be as failure proof as possible, and many layers of redundancy must be designed in to ensure that there is always a backup in case of a failure. It will be understood that such systems are highly complex, a complexity made even greater as a result of the required redundancy. Computer design and modeling programs allow for the design of such systems by allowing a designer to model the system and simulate its operation. Thus, the designer can ensure that the system will operate as intended before the facility is constructed.
Once the facility is constructed, however, the design is typically only referred to when there is a failure. In other words, once there is failure, the system design is used to trace the failure and take corrective action; however, because such design are so complex, and there are many interdependencies, it can be extremely difficult and time consuming to track the failure and all its dependencies and then take corrective action that doesn't result in other system disturbances.
Moreover, changing or upgrading the system can similarly be time consuming and expensive, requiring an expert to model the potential change, e.g., using the design and modeling program. Unfortunately, system interdependencies can be difficult to simulate, making even minor changes risky.
For example, no reliable means exists for the real-time verification of protective device settings exists. Power system engineers perform off-line protective device coordination studies that provide the protection settings for selective coordination of an electrical network. Typically, field technicians manually set the protective devices such as circuit breakers and relay settings based on the protective device coordination study delivered by the power engineer.
During an electrical power facility's operation, technicians may from time-to-time adjust the protective device settings without first taking into consideration the power facility's design coordination requirements. This can result in unplanned power black outs due to the uncoordinated tripping of protective devices due to the protection system's loss of coordination and security.
Moreover, with the large number of protective devices that are inter-dispersed within a typical facility, it is very difficult for owners/managers/operators and their power system specialists to know which if any of the many protective devices at their facility have settings that are out of specification (putting the facility at risk for catastrophic power failure).
Therefore, there is a need for a real-time automatic feedback system that continuously compares the design selective coordination requirements captured in a logical model of an electrical power facility to the actual operational conditions and settings of the protective devices dispersed throughout the electrical power facility.